Compensating connecting rod for internal-combustion engines



Aug. 26, 1924.

T. MATSON compmzsnms commune non FOR INTERNAL comaus'rrou auemzs Filed July 27. 1923 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OOHPENBLIING CONNECTING ROD FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed July 27, 1923. Serial No. 854,084.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Tums MATSON, a citizen of the United States, residin at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, tate of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Compensating Connecting Rod for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a novel construction of extensible or compensating connecting rod for aninternal combustion engine, whereby I am enabled automatically to keep the compression in the engine cylinders at a predetermined, invariable point during all positions of the iston atthe extremes of its compression stro e.

It further consists of a novel construction of an extensible or compensating connecting rod composed of telesco ic sectiogns provided w1th a piston an novel valvular pumpin mechanism and control mechanism, w ereby the connecting rod will automatically shorten or lengthen according to re uirements.

t further consists of a novel method of operatin an internal combustion en ine.

It furt er consists of other novel eatures of construction and advantage as will be hereinafter pointed out.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawin one form thereof which is at present pre erred by me, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown aind de-' scribed.

Fi re 1 represents a side elevation of my nove compenating, connecting rod showing also partly in section an engine to which the same is applicable.

Figure 2 represents, on an enlarged scale, a sectional view of the connecting rod and its adjimcts.

Figure3 represents a section on line 3--3 of F1gure 1.

Figure 4 represents a sectional view of the upper end of the hollow compensating connecting rod showing the position the same rod and its adjuncts assume when the connecting' rod is inclined from the position seen in Figure 2.

Figure 5 represents, on an enlar ed scale, a sectional view similar to the eft-hand portlon of Figure 2 showing a check valve and its adjuncts.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates an internal .combustion engme of any conventlonal type and as its general mode of operation will be apparent to those skilled 1n the art, I shall confine my description to the novel construction of extensible or compensating' connecting rod, which is composed of the upper member 2 and the lower member 3 into which said upper member telescopes. The lower member comprises a cylinder 4 mounted or secured upon the upper member 5 of the bearing for the crank shaft 6, the bearing and crank shaft being of the usual construction.

The cylinder 4 is provided with a cap or cover 7 having the upwardly extending outer tubular extension 8. 9 desi ates a pump cylinder having its lower en threaded u on the top of the extension 8 and provide with the inwardly extending flange 10 between which and the upper end of the extension 8 is located the acking 11 which acts as a stuffing box. he upper portion of the cylinder 9 contains the plston 12 attached to or formed on the upper hollow member 2, said piston carrying the check valve 13 which seats upwardly and is held normall closed by the spring 14:.

It wi 1 be obvious that the check valve 13 acts as the valvular element of a ump, since it unseats at the proper period to admit any fluid above the piston 12 to fall into the chamber-below sald piston. I

15 designates an outwardly seatin check valve controlling the port 16 and he d normall against its seat by the spring 17, as will e understood from Figure 4.

The air reservoir 18 is carried by the ca 7 and communicates by the port 18 wit the oil or other liquid 19 contained in the cylinder 4. The upper end of the upper portion 2 of the extensible connecting podis connected by the wrist pin 20 to the engine piston 21 which has the internal lugs 22 to which is pivoted at the point 24 the cam rod 23 having the bottom cam face 25, said cam rod .passin through a slot 26 in the portion 2, the ro er 27 bein located in said slot above said cam rod an being rotatable upon the pin 28. 29 designates a stufiing box mounted in the bottom wall of the slot 26 through which passes the upper end of the valve rod 30 at the lowerend of which is the upwardly seating valve 31, WhlCh is held normally seated by the spring 32. Above the valve 31 is the port 33 w ich come municates with the interior of the cylinder 4.

34 designates the compensating piston which is provided with iston rin and is secured to the lower en of'the ho low piston rod or member 2 and reciprocates in the cylinder 4. 7

34 designates a centrally located chamber in the compensating piston 34 which has the hollow port or valve seat 35 which is controlled by the downwardly seati valve 36 which is held normally seated y the spring 37, whose tension is adjusted by the nut 38'which also serves as a guide for the valve stem 39. 40 desi ates a port or valve seat in the bottom of 5:; compensating piston 34 which is controlled by the upwardly seating valve 41 having the valve stem 42 whose upper end is engaged by the spring 43 which serves to hold said valve ,41' normally seated.

44 designates a port in the piston 34 located oppositely to the valve 41 and convalve 45 having the stem 46 guide in the apertured plate 47, the sprin 48 serving to keep saidvsa'fety valve seated.

It will be seen from the foregoing that mfy novel compensating piston has the flow o the liquid therethrough controlled by a set of four valves, two of which are centrally located. The up r central valve seats upwardly while the ower central valve seats downwardly. in said piston one seats upwardly while the other or safety valve seats downwardly.

The operation is as follows On. the intake stroke of the engine piston 21 the latter is moving downwardly from the position seen inFigure 1 and the compensatmgnpiston 34 is in the act of moving upwa ly from the position seen in Figure 2. During this upward movement of the piston 34 the valve 41' unseats and safety Of the two outer valves the liquid or oil has free circulation through said plston. On the compression or upward stroke of the engine piston 21, as soon as the compression above said piston has reached a certain point, the compensating pistonmoves downwardly from the position seen in Figure 2.

As the piston 34 moves downwardly the valve 36 opens or moves upwardly and in addition as the parts are now about in the position seen 1n Figure 4, the cam 25 is pressing the rod 30 downwardly which unseats or opens the valve 31. The oil in 19 can then flow past the open valves 36 and 31 and through the port 33 and during this operation the piston 34 moves towards the bottom of its cylinder 4.

It will be seen from the foregoing that when the valves 36 and 31 are 0 en and the piston 34 is moving downwar y, said piston and its cylinder 4 function somewhat as a dash pot and permits the' extensible connecting rod composed of the parts 2 and 3 and their adjuncts to shorten or lengthen in a smooth and even manner.

Assuming that the engine piston 21 is near the end of its compression stroke, as seen in Figure 1, the cam 25 has moved from the position seen in Figure 4to the position seen in Figure 2 and the valve 31 is closed b the spring 32, which prevents the flow 0 oil past said valve 31 and the compensating plston 34 is prevented from further downward movement. Following the explosion above the engine piston 21, the latter is driven downwardl and during this downward movement t e valve 31 is held closed and there is no lengthening or shortening of the connecting rod composed of the telescoping parts 2 and 3 until the beginning of the intake stroke of the engine piston 21. The tension of the spring 37 is regulated by the nut 38 so ,at as the tension of the spring 37 is increased, the extent of compression above the piston 21 is correspondingly increased.

When the engine is throttled down, the

stroke of the engine piston 21 is permitted automatically to lengthen by reason of the presence of the extensible connecting rod composed of the telescoping members 2 and 3 and their adjuncts which automatically keeps the compression above the engine piston 21 up to the proper extent.

It will thus be seen that on the first.

On the power or.

and does not shorten or lengthen which effects a large saving in fuel by reason of the engine having full compression when in a throttled condition. The pumping member seen in Figure 2 functions during the telescoping action of the parts 2 and 3. The pump piston 12 has no rings and fits a little loose in the cylinder 9 which permits the escape of any air and at the same time in case of any leakage of oil through the stufiin box 29 or packing 11 said oil is forced t rough the check valve 15 into the column of oil in the member 2.

The air reservoir 18 permits the expansion and contraction of the liquid 19.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein described process of automatically maintaining by an extensible connecting rod the compression of an internal combustion engine at a redetermined, invariable point during a1 positions of the piston at the extremes of its compression stroke,'and automatically holding said connecting rod from expansion and contraction on the firing stroke. 2. In an internal combustion engine, an engine piston, a cylinder therefor, a crank shaft, an extensible, automatically operated connecting rod interposed between said piston and crank shaft for automatically maintaining the compression above said piston at a predetermined, invariable point during all positions of the piston at the extremes of its compression stroke, and means for holding said connecting rod from expansion or contraction on the firing stroke.

3. In a device of the character stated, an engine piston, a cylinder therefor, a crank shaft, and a compensating, extensible, connecting rod interposed between said piston and crank shaft, said rod being composed of telescoping, tubular members, oneof said members carrying a compensating piston provided with valves, and the other of said members comprising a cylinder for said compensating piston, secured to said crank shaft.

4. In a deviceof the character stated, an engine piston, a cylinder therefor, a crank shaft, and a compensating, extensible, connecting rod interposed between said piston and crank shaft, said rod being composed of telescoping, tubular members, one of said members carrying a compensating piston provided with valves, and the other of said members comprising a cylinder for said compensating piston, secured to said crank shaft, in combination with means for automatically unseating one of said valves during the reciprocations of said engine piston.

- 5. In a device of the character stated, an engine piston, a cylinder therefor, a crank shaft, and a compensating extensible connecting rod, interposed between said piston and crank shaft, said rod being composed of telescoping tubular up r and lower members, said upper mem er telescoping within said lower member and serving as a hollow piston rod, a compensating iston attached to said piston rod, a cy inder for said compensating piston carried by said lower member and secured to said crank shaft, a pair of centrally located valves carried by said compensating piston, the upper of said valves seating upwardly and the lower of said valves seating downwardly, a valve stem for said upper valve, cam actuated devices controlled by the piston for unseating said upper valve, means for varying the spring tension on the lower valve accord ing to the compression desired, and a third spring pressed upwardly seating valve carried by said compensating piston.

6. In an internal combustion engine, an engine piston, a cylinder therefor, a crank shaft, and means comprising an extensible connecting rod and pum ing and valvular mechanism carried there y interposed between said piston and crank shaft for automatically maintaining the compression above said piston at a predetermined, invariable point during all positions of the piston at the extremes of its compression stroke.

7. In a device of the character stated, an engine piston, a cylinder therefor, a crank shaft, a compensating, extensible, connecting rod interposed between said piston and crank shaft, said rod being composed of telescoping, tubular members, one of said members carrying a compensating piston provided with valves, and the other of said members comprising a cylinder for said compensating piston, secured to said crank shaft, means carried by said engine piston for antomatically unseating one of said valves, and means for permitting the unseating of others of said valves during the reciprocations of said compensating piston in opposite directions.

8. In-a device of the character stated, an engine piston, a cylinder therefor, a crank shaft, a compensating, extensible, connectin rod interposed between said piston and cm shaft, said rod being composed of telesco ing, tubular members, the upper of said members carrying a compensating piston provided with valves, and the lower of said members comprising a cylinder for said compensating piston, secured to said crank shaft, means for automatically unseating one of said valves during the reciprocations of said engine piston, and a pumping device common to the upper tubular member and the upper end of said lower member.

9. In a device of the character stated, a compensating connecting rod, composed of a lower cylinder, an upward outer tubular extension therefor, a hollow iston rod telescoping in said extension, an a valved compensatlng piston movable in said cylinder.

'10. In a device of the character stated, a. compensating connecting rod, composed of a-lower cylinder, an n ward outer tubular extension therefor, a ho low iston rod telescoping m said extension, an a valved compensating piston movable in said cylinder, in

combination with a pum ing device common 10 to said hollow piston ro and the upper end of said tubular extension.

TAYLOR MATSON.

Witnesses:

E. HAYWARD FAIRBANKS, N. Bvssmenn. 

